Poets Laureate of Great Britain Poets Laureate of Great Britain Poets Laureate of Great Britain by J. Zimmerman Several of the other Laureates were famous poets, particularly Ted Hughes , Robert Southey , John Masefield , Sir John Betjeman , Cecil Day-Lewis , and the current Laureate, Andrew Motion . History and responsibilities. In Great Britain, the Poet Laureate is: The realm's official poet. A member of the royal household. Charged with writing verses for court and national occasions (such as for a Royal Wedding or the New Year). Awarded the position for life. Chosen by the British reigning monarch, from a list of nominees that the Prime Minister compiles after a poet laureate dies. Shortly after the 1668, the position became the Poet Laureate of Great Britain in 1707, when The Act of Union created "Great Britain" as the political name of England, Scotland, and Wales. The name Laureate derives from the Latin laureatus ("crowned with laurel"). It comes from an ancient Roman tradition of honoring a person (especially a poet) who has shown excellence of achievement.

The honor is signified by presenting the person with a wreath of laurel leaves. FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) on the Poets Laureate of Great Britain. What does "Laureate" mean? Answer . Who was the best? Most frequently this is said to be Tennyson . John Dryden (1631-1700). Laureate 1668-88. Appointed in 1668 by King Charles II, who gave John Dryden a formal royal warrant that awarded him the official titles of Poet Laureate and Historiographer Royal. This role continued under King James II. As a powerful satirist, Dryden was a strong advocate and spokesman for his monarch, and "the best poet, dramatist, translator and critic of the age" [ Levin in Verses of the Poets Laureate] In 1689, sacked [or fired] by William III for failing to take an oath of allegiance. Thomas Shadwell (1643?-1692). Laureate 1689-92.

The successful dramatist Thomas Shadwell was chosen in large part because he was a Protestant Whig, essential to replace the Catholic Dryden. met an inglorious end in 1693, A weak poet, a heavy drinker, and an opium user, Shadwell died from an overdose of opium, which he took in part to relieve his gout. He was said to have found the laureateship unimportant. Disrespected by John Dryden , among others, for his poetry as well as for his politics. Shadwell wrote a yearly ode on the monarch's birthday, and introduced the tradition of writing a New Year ode; his odes are crashingly uninspired and mechanistic, as if written by an unusually dimwitted computer program. Nahum Tate (1652-1715). Laureate 1692-1715. Born in Dublin, Tate was awarded the Poet Laureate position (and its £100 per year) but the post of Historiographer Royal (and its annual £200) became a separate assignment.

Tate is most known today for his authorship of the widely loved Christmas carol "While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night". He is notorious for his (creative?) revision of Shakespeare's tragedy King Lear, giving it a happy ending. In response to public events, Tate wrote poems for victories against the French (1704), the Act of Union between the Parliaments of England and Scotland (1707), and the signing of the Peace of Utrecht with France (1713). Nicholas Rowe (1674-1718). Laureate 1715-18. Nicholas Rowe was celebrated as a dramatist rather than as a poet. The Poet Laureate's role was now general praise of the sovereign, rather than political and historical. In addition to the annual New Year ode, the Laureate acquired the duty of writing a birthday ode to the monarch, a practice which was to last over 100 years. Laurence Eusden (1688-1730). Eusden never published a book of poetry. His work is mediocre. Colley Cibber (1671-1757).

The poetry of dramatist Colley Cibber was conscientious but not inspired. William Whitehead (1715-85). Laureate 1757-85. [The appointment was first offered to and declined by Thomas Gray.] William Whitehead (a respectable though perhaps dull dramatist) was good humored and amiable. For example, he defended the poetry of Laureates in a comic poem "A Pathetic Apology For All Laureates, Past, Present, And To Come". Whitehead was conscientious, and saw himself as a non-partisan spokesman for the whole country. Astonishingly for a political appointee, he appeared to see no requirement "to defend the King or support the government". Sadly, this reflects the idea that the Laureate's influence had weakened so much that the official poems were unlikely to influence opinions, even though the times were important politically, with rebellion in the American colonies and war in Europe. Thomas Wharton (1728-90). Laureate 1785-90. Professor of Poetry at Oxford, Wharton was the only eighteenth-century laureate who was not primarily a dramatist.

William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge admired his work. Henry James Pye (1745-1813). Laureate 1790-1813. Before Pye's appointment, the Sovereign or the Lord Chamberlain (a member of the Royal Household) awarded the Poet Laureateship directly. William Pitt (the first Prime Minister involved in appointing a Laureate) offered the position to Henry James Pye, a politician more than a poet. Thereafter, the Prime Minister submits names for royal approval. Then the monarch commands the Lord Chamberlain to issue a warrant of appointment. Robert Southey (1774-1843). Laureate 1813-43. [In a bizarre double-offer the appointment was offered to two writers concurrently. Fortunately, Sir Walter Scott turned down the approach by Prime Minister, Lord Liverpool.] Robert Southey accepted the suggestion of the post from the Prince Regent. When Scott declined the offer, he suggested Southey also, so the situation ended well. During Southey's tenure, George IV became monarch in 1820, and abandoned the requirement for regular odes to the monarch.

William Wordsworth (1770-1850). Laureate 1843-50. William Wordsworth, at 73, was the oldest Poet Laureate to be appointed. He accepted the position on the agreement that he would not have obligations to write poetry on demand. Since Wordsworth, the job of Poet Laureate has been purely honorary, and appointees have been able to interpret the role as they wish. Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-92). Laureate 1850-92. [The appointment was first offered to and (to our benefit) declined by Samuel Rogers.] Alfred Tennyson raised the stature of the Poet Laureate hugely. His laureate poems include The Charge Of The Light Brigade (the suicidal charge by the Light Brigade down a valley at Balaclava during the Crimean war). Tennyson's death was mourned publicly by millions. In respect, no appointment was made to the post of Poet Laureate for four years. Alfred Austin (1835-1913). A pompous man, least successful of the Poets Laureate.

Robert Bridges (1844-1930). Uninterested in fame and praise, Bridges wrote little and destroyed his papers before his death. John Masefield (1878-1967). Laureate 1930-67. Born in Ledbury, Herefordshire, England, Masefield apprenticed to be a merchant marine officer. While training, he became ill in Chile, returned to England, then worked in factories and bars in the United States. In 1897 he returned to England, working on newspapers and his own writing (poems, stories, and plays). Masefield published his first volume of poems in 1902. He served during World War I in the Red Cross in France and on a hospital ship at Gallipoli. His simple and moving poems include the famous Sea Fever. Cecil Day-Lewis (1904-72). Laureate 1968-72. Anglo-Irish Cecil Day-Lewis was a poet, critic, and educator who enjoyed the honor of being the Poet Laureate. A student at Oxford with Auden. A committed Communist though naive politically.

Hi poetry are often romantic and melancholy. Also he wrote detective stories (using the pseudonym Nicholas Blake). Sir John Betjeman (1906-84). Laureate 1972-84. Born in Highgate (North London). Sir John Betjeman wrote humorous and accessible poetry. Betjeman commemorated royal events such as The Queen's Silver Jubilee in 1977. Ted Hughes (1930-98). Laureate 1984-1998. [Appointed on the refusal of poet Philip Larkin .] Born in Yorkshire. A fierce, sometimes ferocious, poet of the natural and the mythological worlds, of "the struggle in the soil as well as in the soul" [ Levin in Verses of the Poets Laureate] . Also authored poetry and plays for children. Despite the "no obligations" clause, Hughes did write in commemoration of royal events, such as the christening of Prince Henry of Wales in 1985. Andrew Motion (1952-present). Laureate 1999-2012.

Buy Verses of the Poets Laureate: from John Dryden to Andrew Motion , by Phillis Levin (Editor) and Andrew Motion (Introduction): describes and shows the work of the first 19 poets appointed as Poet Laureate since Charles II created the first in 1668. Andrew Motion, an acclaimed poet and biographer, teaches creative writing at the University of East Anglia. He promotes poetry among young people. His poems addressing many public events as well and royal occasions, including the 100th birthday of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. A critic, and a free-form poet who interweaves the personal, the historical, the legendary, and the political. Carol Ann Duffy (1955-present). Buy Selected Poems by Carol Ann Duffy , first female Poet Laureate. Carol Ann Duffy (poet, university professor, playwright, and freelance writer) is the first woman and the first Scottish-born poetry to be appointed Poet Laureate. She graduated with a degree in philosophy from the University of Liverpool in 1977.

Her books like Feminine Gospels (2002) and Mrs Scrooge show her skill in long narrative poems, written in an accessible style and often including surreal imagery. Other work, like Rapture (2005) are poems of passion and love. She also writes poetry (such as The Hat, 2007) for children. Not-quite Poets Laureate of Great Britain. These poets were not Poets Laureate, for the reasons given. Ben Jonson (1573-1637), a playwright and poet, a volatile satirist of explosive temperament and "a great lover and praiser of himself", was not formally appointed as Poet Laureate. John Dryden was the first appointed Poet Laureate, as shown by the official royal record (starts in a new window). At best, Jonson was a "common law" poet laureate (as in "common law" husband). Some believe Jonson to be the greatest English poet and dramatist of the seventeenth century. Many praise his charm and good humor. His vigor and productivity is clear.

Jonson learned the trade of bricklayer, fought with English troops in Flanders, then returned to London to become an actor and playwright, a writer of masques (short pageant-like plays), and a tutor to Sir Walter Raleigh's son. In 1597 Jonson was imprisoned for involvement in the satire The Isle of Dogs, which authorities found seditious. He was tried for killing a fellow actor in a duel in 1598. Imprisioned for this, he converted to Catholicism to be spared death for murder. He was released provided that he forfeit all his possessions, and that he receive a felon's brand on his thumb. Charged with treason for his tragedy Sejanus, His Fall (1603) and then briefly imprisoned for views in Eastward Ho (1604), Jonson (a Catholic) was under deep suspicion after Guy Fawkes' Gunpowder Plot (1605). This situation may have motivated him, shortly thereafter, to reconvert to Anglicanism. He did become court poet to King James I. One of Jonson's most famous poems, "To Celia", begins "Drink to me, only, with thine eyes...".

Buried upright in Westminster Abbey, standing on his feet in the northern aisle of the Nave (and not in Poets' Corner) beneath the inscription "O Rare Ben Johnson" William Davenant, or Sir William D'Avenant. After Jonson's death, dramatist Davenant [D'Avenant] inherited Jonson's office and pension, again as an unofficial appointment. Links Poets Laureate of the United States of America . Books about the Poets Laureate of Great Britain. Buy Verses of the Poets Laureate: from John Dryden to Andrew Motion , by Phillis Levin (Editor) and Andrew Motion (Introduction): describes and shows the work of the first 19 poets appointed as Poet Laureate since Charles II created the first in 1668. Related Books. Laureate L Laureate In English , the word laureate has come to signify eminence or association with literary or military glory. It is also used for winners of the Nobel Prize . History The laurel , in ancient Greece, was sacred to Apollo , and as such was used to form a crown or wreath of honor for poets and heroes ; and this use has been widespread.

"Laureate letters" in old times meant the dispatches announcing a victory; and the epithet was given, even officially (e.g. to John Skelton) by universities, to distinguished poets. The name of "bacca-laureate" for a bachelor's degree shows a confusion with a supposed etymology from Latin bacca lauri (the laurel berry), which, though incorrect, involves the same idea. From the more general use of the term " poet laureate " arose its restriction in England to the office of the poet attached to the royal household, first held by Ben Jonson , for whom the position was, in its essentials, created by Charles I of England in 1617. Jonson's appointment does not seem to have been formally made as poet-laureate, but his position was equivalent to that.

The office was really a development of the practice of earlier times, when minstrels and versifiers were part of the retinue of the King; it is recorded that Richard Coeur de Lion had a versificator regis (Gulielmus Peregrinus), and Henry III of England had a versificator (Master Henry); in the 15th century John Kay, also a "versifier", described himself as Edward IV of England's "humble poet laureate". Moreover, the crown had shown its patronage in various ways; Chaucer had been given a pension and a perquisite of wine by Edward III of England, and Spenser a pension by Queen Elizabeth I. W. Hamilton classes Chaucer, Gower, John Kay, Andrew Bernard, John Skelton, Robert Whittington, Richard Edwards, Spenser and Samuel Daniel, as "volunteer Laureates". Poet Laureate Sir William Davenant succeeded Jonson in 1638, and the title of poet laureate was conferred by letters patent on John Dryden in 1670 two years after Davenant's death, coupled with a pension of £300 and a butt of Canary Islands wine .

The post then became a regular institution, though the emoluments varied, Dryden's successors being T. Shadwell, who originated annual birthday and New Year odes , Nahum Tate, Nicholas Rowe, Laurence Eusden, Colley Cibber, William Whitehead, Thomas Warton, Henry James Pye, Robert Southey, William Wordsworth , Alfred Tennyson and, four years after Tennyson's death, Alfred Austin. The office took on a new luster from the personal distinction of Southey, Wordsworth and Tennyson; it had fallen into contempt before Southey, and on Tennyson's death there was a considerable feeling that no possible successor was acceptable, William Morris and Algernon Swinburne being hardly court poets. Eventually, however, the undesirability of breaking with tradition for temporary reasons, and thus severing the one official link between literature and the state, prevailed over the protests against following Tennyson by any one of inferior genius. It may be noted that abolition was similarly advocated when Thomas Warton and William Wordsworth died.

The poet laureate, being a court official, was considered responsible for producing formal and appropriate verses on birthdays and state occasions; but his activity in this respect has varied, according to circumstances, and the custom ceased to be obligatory after Pye's death. Wordsworth stipulated, before accepting the honor, that no formal effusions from him should be considered a necessity; but Tennyson was generally happy in his numerous poems of this class. The emoluments of the post have varied; Ben Jonson first received a pension of 100 marks, and later an annual "terse of Canary wine". To Pye an allowance of £27 was made instead of the wine. Tennyson drew £72 a year from the Lord Chamberlain's department, and £27 from the Lord Steward's in lieu of the "butt of sack". (Wikipedia) Biography of Wordsworth Biography of Wordsworth, Coleridge and Southey highlighting the points at which their lives cross over 1770 William Wordsworth born in Cockermouth, Cumberland 1772 STC born in Devon 1774 Robert Southey born in Bristol 1787 Wordsworth enters St.

Johnï¿½s College, Cambridge 1790 Wordsworth tours France and Switzerland (Henry James Pye becomes Laureate) 1791 STC enters Jesus College, Cambridge. Wordsworth returns to France and witnesses Revolution. Wordsworthï¿½s love affair with Annette Vallon (daughter Caroline born) 1792 Southey enters Balliol College, Oxford 1793 STC enlists as a soldier. Wordsworth visits Tintern Abbey [Wordsworth, An Evening Walk, Descriptive Sketches] 1794 Southey and Coleridge meet at Oxford and plan ï¿½pantisocracyï¿½. They go on walking tour. They become engaged to the Fricker sisters. Southey abandons plan to emigrate to America, causing a breach in friendship with Coleridge. 1795 Coleridge and Southey lecture in Bristol (January to June) . Coleridge meets Wordsworth (August/September?). Southey marries Edith Fricker (Nov 14). Coleridge marries Sara Fricker (Oct 4). Southey goes to Lisbon alone, returning May 1796 to live in Bristol with wife.

Wordsworth becomes part of radical circle in London. 1796 Coleridge moves to Nether Stowey (West Country) [Southeyï¿½s Joan of Arc and Poems by Robert Lovell and R Southey; Coleridgeï¿½s Poems on Various Subjects, The Watchman] 1797 William and Dorothy Wordsworth rent Alfoxden House nr Stowey to be near STC . STC and Wordsworth make plans for joint composition. They are suspected of being spies. Southey studies law in London and receives annuity of ï¿½160 from CWW Wynn. [Wordsworth, The Borderers (play); Southeyï¿½s Letters from Spain and Portugal and Poems] 1798 Wordsworth and Coleridge publish Lyrical Ballads anonymously. Coleridge and Wordsworth set out for Germany . Southey writes poetry for The Morning Post (London paper) until 1803. Southey moves to Westbury, near Bristol 1799 Wordsworth and Coleridge in Germany; they return (Wordsworth in April) and walk in Britain. Coleridge falls in love with Sara Hutchinson.

Southey and Coleridge have more complete reconciliation. Southey and wife visit the Coleridges. Southey and wife visit Portugal for his health. STC moves to Keswick (Cumberland). Coleridge becomes regular contributor to The Morning Post (1799-1800) 1800 Coleridge occasional contributor to Morning Post (1801-1803). 1801 Lyrical Ballads published (January) with Preface. Southey returns and abandons law profession, becoming a reviewer. Southey stays with STC at Keswick (Cumberland). [Southeyï¿½s Thalaba.] 1802 Peace of Amiens enables Wordsworth to visit Annette and Caroline. Wordsworth marries Mary Hutchinson. Wordsworth revises Preface. 1803 Southey and wife stay with STC at Keswick (Cumberland) 1804 STC leaves for Malta and Italy for his health (Public Secretary in Malta) 1805 Wordsworth completes The Prelude [Southeyï¿½s Madoc and Metrical Tales] 1806 STC returns to England and decides to separate from wife.

Wordsworth reads The Prelude to Coleridge 1807 Southey receives govï¿½t pension ï¿½144 pa and resigns the Wynn annuity. [Wordsworth, Poems in Two Volumes (bad reviews)] 1808 Wordsworth and Coleridge live together at Allan Bank, Grasmere, Westmorland (Sept) . Coleridge lectures on poetry at Royal Institution. 1809 [Wordsworth, The Convention of Cintra] 1810 STC spends 4/5 months with Southey at Greta Hall (Cumberland). Breach between STC and Wordsworth over misunderstanding [Southeyï¿½s Curse of Kehama published and History of Brazil I.] 1811 STC lectures on literature (until 1812) 1812 STC spends Feb-March with Southey at Greta Hall. STC and Wordsworth reconciled [Southeyï¿½s Omniana (contained some writing by STC] 1813 Southey becomes Poet Laureate (on recommendation of Scott, who declines). Coleridge lectures in Bristol.

Wordsworth becomes Distributer of Stamps for Westmorland (inland revenue) and moves to Rydal Mount [Southeyï¿½s Life of Nelson 2 vols published. STCï¿½s play Remorse successful at Drury Lane.] 1814 STC not answering Southeyï¿½s letters. Coleridge lectures in Bristol [Wordsworthï¿½s The Excursion (prefaced with plan for The Recluse) bad reviews] 1815 [Southeyï¿½s Minor Poems, 3 vols ;Wordsworth Collected Poems (with Preface), The White Doe of Rylstone] 1816 [Southeyï¿½s The Poetï¿½s Pilgrimage and The Lay of the Laureate; Coleridge, Christabel, Kubla Khan, The Pains of Sleep, The Statesmanï¿½s Manual] 1817 Southey becomes leader writer for The Times (ï¿½2,000 pa). Southeyï¿½s Wat Tyler surreptitiously published. STC defends Southey over Wat Tyler.

Southey tours Switzerland, Italian lakes, Black forest, Cologne and Brussels. [Coleridge, Sibylline Leaves; Biographia Literaria, A Lay Sermon, Zaploya (play); Southeyï¿½s Morte dï¿½Arthur and History of Brazil II and a pirated edition of Wat Tyler] 1818 Coleridge lectures on poetry, drama and philosophy. 1819 [Southey, History of Brazil III; Wordsworth, The Waggoner, Peter Bell] 1820 Southey awarded D.C.L Oxon.

Wordsworth tours Europe [Wordsworth, The River Dudden: A Series of Sonnets; Southey, Life of Wesley] 1821 [Southey, A Vision of Judgement, Expedition of Orsua] 1822 [Wordsworth, Memorials of a Tour on the Continent, Ecclesiastical Sketches; Southey, History of the Peninsular War I] 1824 [Southey, The Book of the Church, History of the Peninsular War II] 1825 Southey strongly opposed to Catholic emancipation [Coleridge, Aids to Reflection; Southey, A Tale of Paraguay] 1826 [Southey, Vindiciae Ecclesiae Anglicanae] 1828 STC and Wordsworth tour the Rhine [Coleridge, Poetical Works (3vols)] 1829 Mrs Coleridge and Sara Coleridge leave Greta Hall (Southeyï¿½s house) on Saraï¿½s marriage.

[Coleridge, On the Constitution of Church and State; Southey, Lives of Uneducated Poets ï¿½ Prefixed to Verses by John Jones, All for Love, The Legend of a Cock and a Hen I, Colloquies on the Progress and Prospects of Society] 1830 [Southey, Life of Bunyan prefixed to The Pilgrimï¿½s Progress] 1831 Southey opposes Parliamentary Reform [Southey, Select works of British Poets] 1832 [Southey, Essays Moral and Political, History of the Peninsular War III] 1833 [Southey, Naval History of England I and II] 1834 Coleridge dies (25 July). Mrs Southey confined to an asylum at York [Southey, The Doctor I and II, Naval History III] 1835 Southey declines baronetcy. Mrs Southey returns home.[Wordsworth, Yarrow Revisited; Southey, Life and Works of Cowper] 1837 Publication of Southeyï¿½s Collected Poems begins (10 vols) Mrs Southey dies. W tours France and Italy.

1839 Southey marries Caroline Bowles (poet). Wordsworth revises The Prelude for the last time. 1842 Wordsworth resigns Stamp Distributorship [Wordsworth, Poems Chiefly of Early and Late Years] 1843 Southey dies (21 March) . Wordsworth becomes Poet Laureate. Wordsworth dictates notes on his poems to Isabella Fenwick. W receives honorary degrees from Durham and Oxford. 1845 Wordsworth supervises one-volume collected edition 1849-50 Wordsworth supervises 6 vol collected edition 1850 Wordsworth dies (23 April) . The Prelude is published by his wife and executors. Key historical and political events of the period 1788-1800 (e.g. who is on the throne, in parliament etc and what is going on in Britain and Europe). What are the burning issues of the day? 1787 U. S. Constitution signed (War of Independence: 1775-1783) 1788 George IIIï¿½s first attack of madness.

Celebrations of centenary of Glorious Revolution 1789 Fall of the Bastille and beginning of French Revolution; French declaration of the Rights of Man; Richard Priceï¿½s Discourse on the Love of Our Country (1789) (celebrating the ideals of the French revolution) 1790 Edmund Burke, Reflections on the Revolution in France (sells 30,000 copies in 2 years); Mary Wollstonecraftï¿½s A Vindication of the Rights of Men (29th November,1790) 1791 Wilberforceï¿½s bill abolishing the slave trade is thrown out by the Commons Tom Paine, The Rights of Man (part 1; part 2: 1792); 1791 a bill is passed which enables Catholics to practise their religion without incurring penalties 1792 France invaded by Austria and Prussia. September massacres (of prisoners and priests by revolutionaries). Wordsworth in France. Founding of London Corresponding Society (for dissenters to hold discussions).

1793 Louis XVI (January) and Queen (October) executed ; War between France & Britain (February). William Godwinï¿½s Political Justice published 1794 Suspension of Habeas Corpus Act (until 1801); The Treason Trials. The ï¿½terrorï¿½ in France ending with execution of Robespierre. 1795 Seditious Meetings Act and the Treasonable Practices Act 1797 Threat of invasion of Britain by France. George Canning founds The Anti-Jacobin newspaper 1798 Irish Rebellion. France invades Switzerland. Malthus, An Essay on the Principle of Population (argues poor should be left at mercy of economic forces) 1801 The Act of Union (between Britain and Ireland) creates United Kingdom 1802 War with France ends (temporarily) with Treaty of Amiens. Napoleon made consul (Emperor, 1804).

Monarch Portraits of the poet laureate through the ages | Books | The Guardian Portraits of the poet laureate through the ages Portraits of the poet laureate through the ages Share on Messenger Close With the announcement that Carol Ann Duffy is the new poet laureate, we take a look at the poets in whose footsteps she follows Friday 1 May 2009 05.15 EDT 2009: Carol Ann Duffy The first female poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy has been publishing poems since the age of 16, winning critical acclaim and commercial success with the deft touch and emotional depth of her work Photograph: Murdo Macleod/Guardian Pinterest 1617: Ben Jonson There is no definite consensus on the point at which the laureateship became an official position, but many hold Jonson to have been the first laureate, after the role (along with a pension of 100 marks a year) was conferred on him by James I.

Jonson, a contemporary of Shakespeare, is perhaps best known for his plays (The Alchemist and Volpone in particular); he was, however, a lyric poet of force and grace, and his poem on the death at seven of his eldest child, 'On My First Sonne' , remains one of the most poignant expressions of grief in the language Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Pinterest 1638: Sir William Davenant Davenant was named poet laureate following Jonson's death in 1637. A prolific playwright, he first turned to writing in 1629, when he found himself without employment. An active supporter of Charles I, he was captured by a parliamentary man-of-war en route for Virginia and wrote the chivalric epic Gondibert while imprisoned on charges of high treason. A version of The Tempest he wrote in collaboration with John Dryden was first performed just a year before his death, probably from syphilis, in 1668.

He is buried in Poets' Corner in Westminster Abbey Photograph: Public Domain Pinterest 1668: John Dryden The foremost poet of his age, Dryden's reliance on the heroic couplet is credited with having established its primacy in English poetry. He was invited to take up the laureateship on the strength of his 1667 poem, Annus Mirabilis , an historic epic describing the events of London's 'year of miracles', 1666 - including the Great Fire of London. Dryden's tenure as laureate was both productive and lucrative; however, when James II was deposed in 1688, he refused to pledge allegiance to the new government and fell out of favour. He was succeeded by his rival, Thomas Shadwell, (the subject of Dryden's earlier mock-heroic satire, MacFlecknoe ) Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images Pinterest 1689: Thomas Shadwell The author of 18 plays, Shadwell is nevertheless best remembered for his feud with Dryden.

The two were friends until the crisis provoked by the Popish plot of 1678; Dryden came down on the Catholic side, while Shadwell sided with the Protestants, writing antipapist play The Lancashire Witches. He went on to attack Dryden in The Medal of John Bayes ; Dryden hit back in MacFlecknoe. Shadwell did, however, find enough time to supply future laureates with a lasting legacy, instituting the New Year and birthday odes that became an integral part of the poet laureate's responsibilities Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images Pinterest 1715: Nicholas Rowe Another laureate whose professional life was closely bound to Shakespeare, Rowe was the Bard's first biographer as well as his first editor in the modern sense, producing an edition of his works from the 1685 folio, in an attempt to 'redeem [Shakespeare] from the injuries of former impressions'. Like most of his predecessors he was better known as a dramatist than a lyricist, with his first play opening in 1700.

Best-known as a poet for his versions of Lucan and Horace, he also translated Jean de La Bruyère and Claude Quillet Photograph: Archive Photos/Getty Images Pinterest 1718: Laurence Eusden At 30, Eusden was the youngest poet laureate at his appointment, and held the post for another 12 years. He was ordained in 1720 and is chiefly known for his appearance in Pope's Dunciad , where he is described as thirsting 'no more for sack or praise;/ He sleeps among the dull of ancient days' Photograph: Public Domain Pinterest 1730: Colley Cibber The appointment of the actor-manager Cibber - pictured as Lord Toppington in Vanbrugh's The Relapse - as poet laureate was greeted with incredulity in an age which boasted the talents of Alexander Pope, Edward Young and John Gay. Jonathan Swift, James Thomson and Henry Fielding all attacked him in print, but his most dogged pursuer was Pope, who crowned him King of the Dunces in his final version of the poem, published in 1743.

His chatty and colourful autobiography, An Apology for the Life of Colley Cibber , was mocked by his contemporaries, but has served as a template for personal reminiscence ever since Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images Pinterest 1757: William Whitehead Appointed after the pre-eminent poet of the age, Thomas Gray, refused the post, Whitehead went on to defend his colleagues in a comic poem, ' A Pathetic Apology for All Laureates, Past, Present, And To Come '. A moderately successful playwright, his poetry was judged to be far superior to that of his immediate predecessors, but he was widely ridiculed for his odes, particularly by Charles Churchill, who quipped 'Dullness and method still are one,/ and Whitehead is their darling son' Photograph: Michael Nicholson/Corbis Pinterest 1785: Thomas Warton Warton, a jovial Oxford don who was fond of his tipple and noted for his literary scholarship more than his poetry, was named to the post at the age of 57.

Described by Samuel Johnson as “a little, thick, squat, red-faced man…in a very odd dress” who “gobbled like a turkey” when speaking, he is particularly remembered for his three-volume History of English Poetry , written between 1774 and 1781 Photograph: Michael Nicholson/Corbis Pinterest 1790: Henry James Pye William Cowper wasn't keen on taking on the laureateship, saying it would be 'a leaden extinguisher, clapped on all the fire of my genius, and I should never more produce a line worth reading'. So the duty fell to Henry Pye, possibly for his support of William Pitt the Younger. Pye's appointment was a subject of ridicule, however, and he is regarded as possibly England's worst poet laureate (his successor, Southey, was to castigate himself for 'rhyming as doggedly and dully as if my name had been Henry James Pye').

His works include Alfred: An Epic, and volumes of poems and translations Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images Pinterest 1813: Robert Southey Southey was another second choice for the post, after Walter Scott refused it on the advice of the head of his clan, the Duke of Buccleuch, who told him that 'the poet laureate would stick to you and your productions like a piece of court plaster…Only think of being chaunted and recitatived by a parcel of hoarse and squeaking choristers on a birthday, for the edification of the bishops, pages, maids of honour, and gentleman-pensioners! Oh, horrible, thrice horrible!' Southey, who refused to live at court or to participate in many court functions in order to retain creative control, was one of the Lake school poets along with Coleridge and Wordsworth.

He is known today for his epic poem Joan of Arc, and his ballads The Inchcape Rock and After Blenheim Photograph: Hulton Archive/Getty Images Pinterest 1850: Alfred, Lord Tennyson Arguably the greatest laureate of them all, Tennyson composed work for his post that lives on to this day: who can forget the rousing thunder of the 'cannon to right of them, cannon to left of them' of The Charge of the Light Brigade , which he dashed off in response to the battle at Balaclava? His appointment after the death of Wordsworth followed talk of abolishing the post, as well as the first suggestions of appointing a woman, notably Elizabeth Barrett Browning. He was an immensely popular laureate, holding the post for 33 years Photograph: Hulton-Deutsch Collection/Corbis Pinterest 1896: Alfred Austin Appearing in Punch where he was mocked as 'Alfred the Little' (succeeding Tennyson, Alfred the Great), Austin is another candidate for worst poet laureate.

The role lay vacant for four years after Tennyson's death, and he was appointed over Kipling and Swinburne, largely, it was said at the time, for his Conservative leanings – he was described by a journalist as 'the last minstrel of Toryism' - than his skill as a poet . He was much mocked for an ode on the Jameson Raid - "They went across the veldt, / As hard as they could pelt" - which praised what turned out to be military disaster. He was nonetheless rather grand, and it was said that when he received visitors at home, a servant would announce him as 'The Poet Laureate' Photograph: Reinhold Thiele/Getty Images Pinterest 1967: Cecil Day-Lewis Day-Lewis - who was known in his youth as Red Cecil for the communist beliefs he later discarded - was laureate for just four years, until his death in 1972. He supplemented his income by writing crime novels under the pseudonym Nicholas Blake, featuring hero Nigel Strangeways, a six-foot blue-eyed Oxford graduate thought to be modeled on Day-Lewis's mentor, WH Auden.

He had no duties as laureate other than heading up the committee which selected the Queen's gold medal for poetry. Day-Lewis's 1943 collection Word Over All is thought to be his finest collection, and he was also acclaimed for his long poem The Magnetic Mountain Photograph: David Newell Smith/Observer Pinterest 1972: Sir John Betjeman According to Andrew Motion, Betjeman hated being poet laureate, writing in a letter: 'Oh God, the Royal poem!! Send the H[oly] G[host] to help me over that fence. So far no sign: Watch and pray.' Betjeman was hugely loved by the public, cultivating the persona of a bumbling old duffer (he was described by the Times as the Teddy Bear of Britain), but was largely ignored or derided by the critics.

He is still a much-loved poet today, for poems including the often-quoted ' Come friendly bombs and fall on Slough ', and A Subaltern's Love Song Photograph: Jane Bown Pinterest 1984: Ted Hughes Hughes, photographed in 1987, was asked to be laureate after Philip Larkin made it clear he would refuse; he held the role for 15 years until his death from cancer. Known for his evocations of the natural world , particularly the Yorkshire of his youth and for his writing for children, Hughes made his entrance onto the poetry scene in 1957 with the prize-winning collection The Hawk in the Rain. Crow, his fourth collection, is perhaps his most famous, scarred by the tragedies of the death of his former wife Sylvia Plath, of the woman he left her for, and of his mother.

He surprised the literary world with the publication of Birthday Letters shortly before he died, an unexpected poetic memoir of his marriage to Plath Photograph: Jane Bown Pinterest 1999: Andrew Motion Motion, the first poet laureate to retire, said he wanted to be 'a kind of flag-waver, bunting hanger-up, drum-beater, you name it, for poetry', and he has used his time as laureate to campaign tirelessly about the importance of poetry, establishing an online poetry archive of poets reading their work. He has also written a series of poems on royal marriages and deaths - as well as the much-mocked rap for Prince William's 21st ('Better stand back/ Here's an age attack') - also covering the Paddington rail disaster and the TUC.

Pictured here before speaking about his book In The Blood at the Edinburgh International Book Festival in 2006, Motion wrote recently in the Guardian that 'no other writing that I've undertaken, of any kind, has been so difficult' as that of the laureateship Photograph: Murdo Macleod Louisiana Tech University - Frellsen Fletcher Smith - The 19th-Century British Poet Laureates The 19th-Century British Poet Laureates Documents by the 19th-Century British Poet Laureates The post of British Poet Laureate has existed in some form since 1189, and though it was traditionally a position held for life, it is now held for a period of ten years. During the 19th century, five different men held the post, though Henry James Pye was appointed in the late 18th century and served until 1813, and Alfred Austin was appointed in 1896 and served most of his term during the early 20th century.

The three men who served in between those two, and who indeed served for 83 of the years of the 19th century, were Robert Southey (served 1813-1843), William Wordsworth (served 1843-1850), and Alfred, Lord Tennyson (served 1850-1892). At Louisiana Tech we are fortunate to have documents by all three of these men in The Frellsen Fletcher Smith Collection, including handwritten poems by all three men. For more information about these documents click on the author links to the left. - Dr. Rick Simmons, Department of English, Louisiana Tech University Above: The signatures of Poet Laureates Robert Southey, William Wordsworth, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson, as they appear on documents in the Frellsen Fletcher Smith Collection.

Louisiana Tech University, A Member of the University of Louisiana System © 2012 Ruston, LA | 318-257-2000 | Directory English Poets Laureate: Geoffrey Chaucer, Edmund Spenser, William Wordsworth, Ben Jonson, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, John Dryden, Robert Southey: Amazon.es: Books LLC: Libros en idiomas extranjeros Libros en idiomas extranjeros EUR 30,78 Precio final del producto Elige envÃ­os GRATIS mÃ¡s rÃ¡pidos con Amazon Premium o elige envÃ­o GRATIS en 4-5 dÃ­as No disponible temporalmente. Puedes comprarlo ya y te lo enviaremos cuando estÃ© en stock. RecibirÃ¡s un e-mail con la fecha de entrega estimada en cuanto tengamos mÃ¡s informaciÃ³n. El cobro a tu cuenta se realizarÃ¡ sÃ³lo cuando se envÃ­e el producto. Vendido y enviado por Amazon. Se puede envolver para regalo.

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MÃ¡s informaciÃ³n Ver esta imagen English Poets Laureate: Geoffrey Chaucer, Edmund Spenser, William Wordsworth, Ben Jonson, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, John Dryden, Robert Southey (InglÃ©s) Tapa blanda – 15 sep 2010 Tapa blanda, 15 sep 2010 "Vuelva a intentarlo" DescripciÃ³n del producto Reseña del editor Chapters: Geoffrey Chaucer, Edmund Spenser, William Wordsworth, Ben Jonson, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, John Dryden, Robert Southey, Ted Hughes, John Masefield, John Betjeman, Robert Bridges, Carol Ann Duffy, Colley Cibber, John Skelton, Nicholas Rowe, Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Andrew Motion, William Davenant, Samuel Daniel, Alfred Austin, Thomas Shadwell, Thomas Warton, Nahum Tate, Laurence Eusden, William Whitehead, Henry James Pye, John Kay, Gulielmus Peregrinus. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 224. Not illustrated. Free updates online.

Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Geoffrey Chaucer (pronounced ; c. 1343 25 October 1400) was an English author, poet, philosopher, bureaucrat, courtier and diplomat. Although he wrote many works, he is best remembered for his unfinished frame narrative The Canterbury Tales. Sometimes called the father of English literature, Chaucer is credited by some scholars as the first author to demonstrate the artistic legitimacy of the vernacular English language, rather than French or Latin. Chaucer as a pilgrim from the Ellesmere manuscriptChaucer was born circa 1343 in London, though the exact date and location of his birth are not known. His father and grandfather were both London vintners and before that, for several generations, the family members were merchants in Ipswich. His name is derived from the French chausseur, meaning shoemaker. In 1324 John Chaucer, Geoffrey's father, was kidnapped by an aunt in the hope of marrying the twelve-year-old boy to her daughter in an attempt to keep property in Ipswich.

The aunt was imprisoned and the £250 fine levied suggests that the family was financially secure, upper middle-class, if not in the elite. John married Agnes Copton, who, in 1349, inherited properties including 24 shops in London from her uncle, Hamo de Copton, who is described ...More: No es necesario ningÃºn dispositivo Kindle. DescÃ¡rgate una de las apps de Kindle gratuitas para comenzar a leer libros Kindle en tu smartphone, tablet u ordenador. Apple

Question: Who was Poet Laureate between Henry James Pye and William Wordsworth?
Answer: ROBERT SOUTHEY